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C of I Newsletter

2009. 03. 19.

Editor’s note: The C of I weekly newsletter will not be published next week.

Sold-out crowd wowed at the Scholarship Gala

Nearly 550 people attended Saturday’s Scholarship Gala, the largest crowd in memory. Congratulations to Justin Smith (‘94), who won the raffle drawing – a weeklong trip to Maui, including airfare for six, accommodations in a 2,400-square foot condominium on the Sands of Kahana with ocean views of Lanai and Molokai. The trip was generously donated by Michael Hummel and Suzi Boyle.

“The Scholarship Gala is an event to which all of us at The C of I look forward,” saidPresident Bob Hoover, who especially thanked special events director Jill Pilote and her team, Tracylea Balmer, Seth Sengel, Debi Kraft and Eddie Kyle, for making the event a success. “It’s our biggest scholarship fundraiser and it’s everyone’s favorite C of I party. This was one of the best events in all my 38 years in higher education – a wonderful, magical evening.”

Professional photos were taken during the event and are available for viewing and purchasing by clicking here.

Highlights of the Gala included:

President Hooverand Leslee Hoover dressed in elaborate costumes to reflect the Old Academia theme

“Historical” portraits (see above), created by C of I senior designer Aimee Czarniecki, of the Hoovers, the Henbergs, political economy department chair Jasper LiCalzi, associate biology professor Sara Heggland, philosophy professor Denny Clark and vice president for academic affairs Mark Smith decorating the walls. To order any reprints of the portraits in any size, send an email to the communications department. Cost ranges from 79 cents to $19.99.

Student awarded $10,000 Davis Project for Peace grant

Kaitlin Justice, a C of I junior majoring in international political economy and minoring in Asian studies, has been awarded a $10,000 Davis Project for Peace grant to “adopt” a rural primary school outside of Arusha, Tanzania. Justice will be training local teachers, improving their living quarters, renovating the school and purchasing classroom materials.

“One of the largest problems with education in rural Tanzania is a lack of qualified and motivated teachers,” Justice said. “Teachers are frequently absent, or do not actually teach when present, and often lack the training to be effective educators.”

Rural schools in Tanzania have a high teacher turnover rate. Many teachers come from other communities and lack housing and job incentives, so they leave for other jobs.

Students from more than 90 colleges that participate in Davis United World College Scholars Program, including Princeton, Dartmouth, Duke, Stanford, Reed and Colorado College, compete for the Projects for Peace. Only 100 projects are chosen. This is the third year of the program.

Last year, C of I graduates Jacob Fulcher and Samantha Fundingsland were awarded a Davis Projects for Peace grant for malaria prevention in Malawi.

Justice will be in Tanzania from June until September for her project. In addition to teacher training, she will coordinate construction of living quarters for the teachers and renovation of the school building, implement a monitoring system to evaluate the performance of the teachers and progress of the students, and provide school supplies including books (both in Kiswahili and English), pencils, paper, small chalk boards and chalk.

She will work with Conservation Foundation Trust, a Tanzanian nongovernmental organization founded by family friends Raoul and Jan Ramoni, and will be accompanied by her cousin Maiyan Linan and possibly another C of I student.

“The goal is to provide the conditions necessary to effectively educate students,” Justice said. “I will also be focusing on female education by educating the community on the benefits of educating both females and males.”

Political economy professor Jim Angresano is Justice’s advisor for her project and said she sets an excellent example for other C of I students.

“Kaitlin’s dedication, generosity, and willingness to contribute to the poor in Tanzania is a far cry from the values Americans read about each day,” he said. “She knows that educating girls and later providing them with employment opportunities is an especially efficient and effective use of resources in a country struggling to develop, and she is going to put that lesson to work.”

Justice has been to Tanzania three times and said it is a special place to her.

“Seeing students sitting in an overcrowded small classroom with a great desire to learn but having no teacher to give them an education really stuck with me,” she said. “For those kids education is not guaranteed, even though the ambition is there and the kids want to learn. This project can give some of those kids the education they want and deserve, and increase the opportunities they have in life.”

In addition to the $10,000 she is receiving from Project for Peace, she will host a Tanzanian dinner fundraiser on April 20 at the College. More details will follow in future newsletters.

Donor Profile: Gerald and Tricia Baur

In addition to a $250,000 gift that Dr. Gerald (Jerry) Baur (‘66), former chairman of The C of I Board of Trustees, wanted the College to receive upon his death, his wife Tricia Baur has established the Gerald M. Baur Memorial Scholarship fund.

The scholarship will be offered beginning this fall and will provide four-year assistance to students with financial need. Tricia, who is completing Jerry’s term on the board, announced the scholarship at the Board of Trustees meeting last Friday.

Tricia wanted to establish the scholarship to honor Jerry, who died in October.

“His birthday was March 7, and I was thinking of ways to honor his memory,” said Tricia. “Jerry felt strongly that he became who he was because of the premier educational foundation he received from The College of Idaho. He would be happy knowing that he was giving students the opportunity to receive the same kind of education he had.”

Tricia encourages those who knew Jerry to contribute to the scholarship fund. Contributions can be made online and should be designated for the Gerald M. Baur Memorial Scholarship.

Jerry and Tricia have always been generous supporters of the Boone Fund, the College’s unrestricted fund, and of the Langroise Trio Endowed Fund, which helps fund the College’s artists-in-residence. Tricia will continue to support both of these funds as well but said the scholarship is something special to her.

“The Gerald M. Baur Memorial Scholarship Fund is a tribute to Jerry and will help many students in the years to come,” she said.

Donations to honor Boyd Henry go to mathematics scholarship

The C of I development office has taken several calls from those who would like to make a donation in honor of professor emeritus Boyd Henry, who died in February at the age of 83. Gifts can be made to the College’s Mathematics Scholarship, which is awarded annually to a student who has financial need and is majoring in math .

Henry was a math professor at The C of I for 34 years. After he retired in 1991, he traveled the state conducting in-service lessons for K-12 public school teachers in 40 school districts. He worked with public school teachers and students until 2007.

Contributions to the scholarship can be made online and should be designated for the Mathematics Scholarship.

Student News

Erstad gains admission to Harvard Medical School

Derek Erstad learned recently that he has been accepted to Harvard Medical School. Erstad, a senior, is a Goldwater Scholar and was a finalist for the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships. He was also accepted to Stanford, Brown, Dartmouth, UCLA, UCSD and the University of Washington.

“My choice is between Stanford or Harvard, but I need a couple of weeks to sit on it before I give my final answer,” he said.

Faculty News

Joe Golden, chair of the theatre department, and his comedy partner Tom Willmorth (aka The Fool Squad) will present at the next Fettuccine Forum for First Thursday on April 2 at the Rose Room, 718 W. Idaho St. in downtown Boise. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the presentation begins at 5:30 p.m. Free appetizers will be served and fettuccine will be available for $5. The title of their presentation is “Fooling with the Arts.”

“We will discuss our work in the Idaho Shakespeare Festival Greenshows as the Treasure Valley’s ‘unofficial court jesters,’ and how we’ve taken our show out into the community through our work as The Fool Squad, performing custom comedy for businesses and private parties,” Golden said.

Staff News

Boles’ photos to be exhibited in OSU show in April

C of I archivist Jan Boles (‘65) will have two photos displayed in “Art About Agriculture 2009: Across the Pacific Northwest,” an exhibit sponsored by the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences.

Boles was granted a purchase award for “Granaries at Soda Springs (revisited), March 2008” (shown above).

The show opens at OSU April 7, and the touring show will appear at three other Oregon locations this year.

“Art About Agriculture,” which began in 1983, is the oldest art competition in America with a theme devoted to agriculture. Including this year’s purchase award, Boles now has four pictures in the AAA permanent collection.

Museum curator assists at LSU

John Keebaugh, invertebrate curator and research associate at the Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History, recently spent a week at the Louisiana State University Arthropod Museum to implement their museum collection database.

LSU is using the same database as The C of I, and Keebaugh conducted a workshop to teach museum staff how to enter data and minimize errors from field book entry to labels for a pinned insect.

Upcoming events

Whittenberger Planetarium shows March 25 and April 20

The International Year of Astronomy is being recognized through the spring at the Whittenberger Planetarium. Shows will be March 25 to see the current night sky and the vernal equinox, and April 20 to see the current night sky and deep space objects visible in April.

Both shows begin at 7:30 p.m. The cost is $4 for adults and $2 for children 5-18. Reservations are required as space is limited. Please make them by calling JoAnn Bellon at 459-5211.

The planetarium is located in Boone Science Building.

Boise Baroque Orchestra & Chorus to perform April 11

The Boise Baroque Orchestra & Chorus will perform in the St. John Passion on April 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Jewett Auditorium. Tickets are $14-$18 for adults and $10-$14 for students. C of I students are free. Tickets available at caldwellfinearts.org, by calling 459-3405 or 459-5783, or at the door.

Langroise Trio concerts April 24-25

The Langroise Trio concerts are:

April 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Esther Simplot Performing Arts Academy in Boise. Admission is $10 adults and $5 for students and seniors.

April 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Langroise Recital Hall. Admission is free.

The concerts will include works by Tovey (cello and piano), Gliere (suite for violin and double bass), Clarke (sonata for viola and piano, 1st movement) and Vaughn Williams (piano quintet).

The Trio are The College of Idaho’s artists-in-residence and are Geoffrey Trabichoff, violin; David Johnson, viola; and Samuel Smith, cello. Featured guest artists will be Robyn Wells, piano; and Jack Koncel, double bass; Corey McKnight, counter tenor; and Jim Cockey, composer.

ISO Food Festival April 30

The International Student Organization will host its annual Food Festival on Thursday, April 30 from 5:30 -7 p.m. in the Morrison Quad. Entrance is $5.

There will be dishes from Bolivia, Cambodia, France, Ghana, Guatemala, Iran, Japan, Nepal, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sweden, Yugoslavia and others. There will also be a World Fair with traditional crafts tables, including origami making, henna tattoos and more.

Those who can’t stay for the fair can pre-order a dinner combo box with dishes from 4-5 different countries. To order a dinner box, email the ISO.

Meridian Symphony performs May 12

The Meridian Symphony, conducted by Tom Phelps, will have its Young Artists Competition Concert on May 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Jewett Auditorium. Seating is open, but tickets are required. Tickets are $8 each or $18 for a family. Tickets are available at the door or by calling 459-3405 or 459-5783. Proceeds will benefit the School Outreach Programs.

Life after The C of I: Where are we now?

Keep in touch with The C of I by sharing your news with the Alumni Office.

Marilynn (Walton) Friling (‘71) and her husband Bjorn have their first grandchild, David Bjorn Hermanson. He was born on March 13 in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Ellen and Aaron Hermanson.

Jared Larsen (‘01) has been promoted to assistant vice president and branch manager of Alliance Title & Escrow’s Canyon County office. Larsen has been with the company for more than a year, most recently as a business development representative. Before joining, he worked for and co-owned a real estate investment company for many years. He is active in the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce and participates in the Caldwell Board of Realtors, Nampa Association of Realtors, Women’s Council of Realtors, Habitat for Humanity and is an active supporter of The C of I athletic and academic programs. He has been an active member of the Boise National Soccer Club for eight years. He has also served as the associate director of coaching for the soccer club and has been the assistant varsity soccer coach for the past six years.

Ken Stolz (‘71) has been promoted to associate director of administration for Humanities Montana, which provides grants and offers a variety of programs in support of the humanities in Montana. Ken is a former administrator at The University of Montana and retired in 2003 as the assistant vice president for administration and finance. Ken spends his spare time photographing wildflowers and racing sports cars.

Alumni News

Alumni Volunteer Corps will be at Ronald McDonald House April 1

The Alumni Volunteer Corps is back in action and is requesting time, treasures and talents from The C of I alumni. The volunteer corps facilitates a variety of community service activities around the Treasure Valley for alumni. The next event will be Wednesday, April 1 at 6 p.m. at the Ronald McDonald House. Six volunteers are needed. Email the alumni office to sign up.

Alumni merchandise available from C of I online bookstore

Alumni merchandise including sweatshirts, license plate frames and school spirit house flags can now be ordered online. Alumni receive a 10 percent discount on all purchases made at the store, online or over the phone. To receive the discount when ordering online or by phone, please contact bookstore manager Mary Brown by email. The license plate frames and house flags pictured must be ordered directly from Mary by phone at 459-5407 or email.

Alumni Events

For more information about the events listed below, call the Alumni Office (208) 459-5770 or email. The C of I Alumni calendar is also available online.

March 21: Seattle with Jasper LiCalzi, professor and chair of the political economy department, and President-select Marvin Henberg at J. Bookwalter Tasting Room in Woodinville at 6:30 p.m.

March 22: Portland to introduce The C of I’s 12th college president Dr. Marvin Henberg and his wife Laurie Henberg at the Bye and Bye . Join us at 4 p.m. for an afternoon of camaraderie, toasts and food.

March 25: GOLD Happy Hour at Sports Zone (3rd floor of Qwest Arena), at 6 p.m. followed by C of I Alumni and Friends night at the Steelheads game. Special ticket price $11. Game time is 7:10 p.m. To order tickets click here and enter this password information: LOGIN: COLLEGEOFID; PASSWORD: ALUM (login and password must be in all caps.)

April 4: San Francisco with Dr. Marvin Henberg and his wife Laurie Henberg at the Bingham McCutchen Building, Three Embarcadero Center, San Francisco at 3:30 p.m.

April 11: Frank Specht Spaghetti Feed in Simplot Dining Hall

April 16: Resume Polishing: How to Write a Winning Resume in Today’s Economy, Beside Bardenay in Boise at 5:30 p.m.Dora Gallegos, Director of the Center for Experiential Learning, will be hosting an evening session for alumni who are employed and those who are looking to review and revamp their resumes. Using a method she calls STAR, Dora will teach you how to apply behavioral interviewing strategy to improve the effectiveness of your resume. Guests are invited to bring a laptop (wifi provided).

April 17: Family Date Night at Rafiki in Boise on State Street. Discounts will be given to all alumni and family from 4-7 p.m. Rafiki is a family-friendly coffee shop and juice bar that is equipped with padded floors, couches, and play areas for various age groups.

April 25: Coeur d’Alene event at Bardenay in CDA

May 1-3: Kappa Sigma Founder’s Day: Help celebrate the brothers’ 30th anniversary. For more information on events, please contact Rich Hatch by email.

May 1-3: Delta Tau Delta Founder’s Day – The brothers of the Theta Psi Chapter of Delta Tau Delta are celebrating their 10th anniversary, “A Decade of Excellence,” with several events.

May 1: Family night bowling

May 2: Golf tournament at Warm Springs Golf Course, family open house at the Tankersley residence, dinner and awards banquet at Red Lion Downtowner (jackets required)

May 3: Rite of Iris on campus (public ceremony), ritual on campus (brothers and alumni only), family BBQ and open house at the Delta Tau Delta house

Please RSVP by April 10. For additional information, please contact Mike Tankersley at 208-841-1848 or email.

May 2: National Astronomy Day hosted by Amy (Strine) Truksa (’88) will celebrate the galaxies by spending the evening learning about the constellations, finding stars, and looking through telescopes. The event will begin at 7 p.m. at Symms Soccer Field, followed by a program in the Whittenberger Planetarium presented by Strine Truksa. Bring blankets to participate in night sky telescope viewing following the planetarium event. Children 8 years and older will have fun learning about the night sky.

May 29: Golden Jubilee and 50th Reunion Celebration

May 30: Graduation and Reunion Gatherings for C of I Israel and Egypt trips and classes of 1999, 1989, 1979, 1969, 1959 and 1949

Jobs at The C of I

Faculty Openings

For complete job descriptions and application instructions go to http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/jobs.The College of Idaho is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Reminders:

Art professor Garth Claassen has a show at the Boise Art Museum from March 14 – May 31 entitled “Bloated Floaters, Snouted Sappers, and the Defense of Empire.” The show is a new body of drawings that grew out of Claassen’s series “The Heavy Dancers,” which he began in 2003 during the build-up to the invasion of Iraq. To read more about the show click here.

Political economy chair Jasper LiCalzi, English and journalism instructor Alan Minskoff, and C of I family advisory council co-chair Paul Hosefros have blogs available.LiCalzi’s is about Idaho politics and available through the Idaho Statesman. Minskoff and Hosefros are writing and photographing “Western Wine Adventures”on NewWest.net. Minskoff is writing “The Year of Drinking Locally,” which chronicles their travels throughout Idaho, and Hosefros is detailing their work from the photographer’s angle in “Vantage Point.”

The Spring 2009 Coyote Caller Phonathon has started. The Coyote Caller’s mission is to build and strengthen the relationship between The College of Idaho alumni, parents and friends, and seek monetary support for the College. The Phonathon is a chance for those who are contacted to ask questions about The C of I, offer suggestions, update their contact information, get information about college news and events, and make an annual pledge of support. For more information, contact college relations coordinator Courtney Carissimi by email or phone at (208) 459-5918.

Psychology professor Jann Adams has also set up a Facebook group for psychology alumni. To join, click here. Other Facebook ‘Yote alumni groups include San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, North Idaho, New York Cityand GOLD Happy Hour. The C of I also has a LinkedIn group. LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site that is used for both job hunting and recruiting. These profiles include information about an individual’s education, career experience, honors and awards. To create a profile, click here. Those already on the site can join The College of Idaho group to connect with fellow alumni.

“Immigrant Shadows: Tracing the Herders’ Legacy,” featuring the work of Boise artists Amy Nack and Earle Swope is at the Rosenthal Gallery on The C of I campus until April 25. The show is an installation that reflects their research into and interpretation of Basque tree carvings, also known as arborglyphs. The Rosenthal Gallery is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or by appointment. To make an appointment, emailGarth Claassen or call him at 459-5321. The show is funded by the Boise City Arts Council.

Idaho license plates with The College of Idaho name and logo are sold for $35 the first year they are purchased, which is in addition to the annual vehicle registration fee. They are $25 plus annual fees for each subsequent renewal. The College of Idaho receives $25 from the sale of new plates and $15 from each renewal, which goes to its scholarship and academic programs.

Personalized and sample license plates can be ordered online. Non-personalized plates are available at any county auto licensing office in Idaho.